Daniel shares some observations about successful team culture in this follow-up to his recent post, The Monday Morning Huddle.
Archive for the ‘Vision’ Category
Culture
Thursday, June 10th, 2010Why?
Friday, June 4th, 2010
Do you know the answer to this question? Discovering “why” is critical to so many areas of our business and our lives.
We all walk through life hearing about what we should do to improve. Still, most of us struggle with changing our behavior.
Over the years, I have coached thousands of people in one-on-one or group sessions. Most of these coaching conversations revolved around the topic of improvement — quality of life, business results, health, relationships, team performance. People typically hire a coach because they believe they will have a better chance of making the necessary changes with a coach on their team.
And of course, I agree!
The problem is that almost all of these improved results require improved behaviors, and behavior is not easily changed. If we want to change our behavior, we must change our thinking. And to change our thinking, we must be able to clearly define “why.”
Do You Have the Conviction of Excellence?
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
I’ve noticed that the word “excellence” is surfacing more often in the guiding principles or convictions of companies.
A few years ago, I started working with the leadership of a UK based petroleum additives firm. One of their primary initiatives is “organizational excellence.” Last week, I spent time with the leadership of a huge restaurant chain whose first principle of success is “operational excellence.”
Tomorrow I will be with a mortgage banking firm, and “manufacturing quality” is one of their guiding principles. Now, “manufacturing quality” does not have the word excellence in it, but as I read what it means to them the word excellence jumped right out.
As leaders, we must closely examine this trend.
Belong, Become, Build
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010The year 2010 is now six weeks underway. I’ve observed that within many leaders, across many industries, there still is a great deal of uncertainty about what the future holds.
When you feel unsure about next quarter, next week, or even tomorrow, fear can take over. It’s easy to lose sight of your larger plan when you feel like you’re scrambling. I’ve found, time and time again, that the best remedy for fear and uncertainly is a healthy dose of vision.
Bifocal Vision Required
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
In challenging times, most leaders spend the majority of their time playing defense. This means time spent reviewing cash flow, sales reports, and financials so they can make the best reactive and tactical decisions in order to survive. Cost cutting, expense control, layoffs…..ugh!
Dealing with these very real scenarios can really bring a leader down. And the unfortunate thing is that, if he spends too much time each day focused on these activities for too long, he and his team will begin to lose sight of why they do what they do. They will lose sight of the mission, they will no longer see opportunity, and they will lose hope.
Ultimately, if the leader has both eyes down on the data, the organization’s health and culture will suffer.
